Don't Tell Sharpay
by 0oxymoronic0
Summary: Ryan likes lying to his sister. ChadxRyan.


**Don't Tell Sharpay**

Ryan likes lying to his sister.

It doesn't have to be _lying_. It can just be a secret. It doesn't matter.

As long as he has something he can cling to, bury deep and dwell around, like the piece of shit that makes a pearl.

* * *

The first time he was six years old. It was when he found out he was gay.

It was quite a simple decision, really.

A boy kissed him on the cheek and he liked it, and that was it. No heartache.

He sat on his bed and thought about it.

_So this is it? _he thought.

His next thought was _don't tell Sharpay._

* * *

The second time he was thirteen, and Sharpay was crying.

That wasn't his fault. His sister did spend most of her life in histrionics, and today was to be no exception. She'd broken up with some asshole, but he was her _first_ asshole so she actually bothered to cry about it. It wasn't so much endearing as irritating.

"That _asshole_!"

It had been all she managed to say between sobs. Ryan sat and smiled to himself. That asshole had just gone down on him five minutes before, so wasn't much of an asshole to him.

He held his sister close and whispered in her ear.

_Don't tell Sharpay._

* * *

The fourth, fifth, and sixth times were much like the third, and all in relation to the first. First crush, first kiss, first date… he felt so pathetic, sometimes. Teenage romance. It never ended until it did and then it had never lasted in the first place.

Sharpay just thought he had a problem with girls.

Ryan pretended he suddenly had a _lot _of dance classes.

_Don't tell Sharpay._

* * *

The weird thing was when they all started involving Chad Danforth.

"You were in _detention_?"

Okay. So this one wasn't _exactly _a lie.

Ryan shrugged. "Yeah. Not my fault."

Sharpay raised an eyebrow. "You were in detention for four _hours_?"

Okay… so it wasn't exactly _entirely _a lie.

Ryan nodded. "Uh huh. I helped someone out with maths."

"Since when were you _good _at maths!"

Ryan said he liked lying to his sister. He never said he was any _good _at it. "I've always been good at maths," he said with a smile, and walked away.

* * *

_Baseball practice._

His sister would kill him.

_Don't tell Sharpay._

* * *

"Hello! What can I do today to make you fab- _fucking hell_, Chad?"

"Ryan?"

They stood and stared at each other for a very long time.

"Nice hat," Chad grinned, and Ryan fingered it nervously.

"It comes with the uniform," he muttered, rolling his eyes. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Chad shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. "Right back at you, man. A beauty parlour? _Seriously_?" Ryan glared. "Why the hell do you _need _to work, anyway? Aren't your parents, like, loaded?"

Ryan sighed. "I want to. It's a matter of _pride._"

Chad grinned. "Yeah. Pride. In _that _uniform."

Ryan raised a thin, perfected eyebrow. "Hey. No insulting the uniform." Chad held up his hands in defeat. "'Sides, you haven't actually told me why _you're_here."

Chad sagged. "Birthday present for Taylor."

Ryan's eyes widened. "When is it?"

"Yesterday." Teeth worried his bottom lip. "So I kinda need it to be special?"

A malicious grin. "Chad Danforth, are you asking for _my _help?"

"It's your job, isn't it? So make me _fabulous_."

The offer was more than tempting.

"Oh, _shit_!" Ryan gasped, and fell to his knees in front of a very surprised Chad.

"Dude, what the _fuck_?" he hissed down to the blonde head bobbing around his crotch.

"Sharpay," was the hissed reply. Chad's eyes picked out a horribly familiar face in the crowd. "She doesn't know I'm working here!" He glared up at him. "And don't you look at me like that."

"Aren't you two, like, soul sisters?"

"Ha. Ha. Just… be inconspicuous?"

"Inconspicuous? With _this _hair?"

Ryan glared. "Point taken. Just… look at the rack or something. And stop talking to me!"

Chad scanned the racks around him desperately for something to look at. He appeared to be in an aisle with epilators and condoms. What the fuck? He could have sworn these shops were _designed _to be unhelpful.

"Is she gone yet?"

"What?" Ryan could have kicked him that moment, and Chad nearly backed away. "Oh," he muttered, and scanned the crowds. "Yeah, you're clear." Ryan straightened up and attempted to scrape back some semblance of dignity. "Now what was that earlier, about making me fabulous?"

"Yeah, yeah. I thought you were after something for Taylor?" Chad laughed, and Ryan found himself smiling too. "Chad." He paused. "Just…"

"Don't tell Sharpay?"

Ryan smiled. "Don't tell Sharpay."

* * *

There were fireworks going off above their head when they first kissed.

_Don't tell Sharpay._

* * *

"Dude," Chad gasped as his fingers wrapped around Ryan's hair. "Fuck." A gasp-moan. "We have to stop meeting like this."

He attempted a joke, and Ryan, ever obliging, chuckled throatily.

Chad screamed as he came.

_Don't tell Sharpay._

* * *

"Oh, my god," Ryan whispered into his shoulder, naked lips on naked skin. "Oh. _Oh_."

Chad grinned, but it was taut, and he was trembling. "I know, right?"

"Fucking _hell_."

"Uh huh."

"Fuck." A whimper-gasp, a shimmy of hips. "You planning on moving anytime soon?"

Chad grinned. "Depends," he murmured into his temple. "I'm kinda enjoying the view where I am."

"Chad Danforth, you move, or I swear to – ohmyfucking_god_ – "

Incoherent screams and babbling.

They lay in silence when it was done.

"Dude," Chad said softly, and Ryan pushed his face into the pillow.

"I'd better be able to walk tomorrow." His words were half-formed and muffled, but still said through a smile.

"Sorry, man." It was a half-whisper, and Ryan lifted his face to part his lips gently.

"I'm okay," he whispered. "God, I can't believe I lost my virginity before my _sister_."

Chad wrinkled his nose. "Dude, mental images? Please?"

Ryan laughed. "Yeah, yeah. Just…"

"Don't tell Sharpay, right?"

Ryan smiled. Hey, the guy knew him.

* * *

"It looks amazing," Chad said for what had to be the twentieth time. At least.

Ryan pouted. "You _always _say that. You're a useless shopping companion." He sighed and looked in the mirror again.

"That's because you always look amazing." Ryan did not believe this justified a response, and so ignored it.

"But," Ryan sighed, and Chad could tell there was a _really _big but coming, "but it's from…" Ryan lowered his voice conspiratorially. "It's from _Walmart._"

Chad sighed. He suspected Ryan had never even stepped inside Walmart before this afternoon. "Yeah, because we're not standing in the middle of Walmart already." Ryan looked around with a terrified expression that seemed to indicate the bargains were going to jump out and drag him off somewhere, screaming. He'd spent at least five minutes watching Ryan staring at the tinned vegetables section. The novelty wore off eventually. "Look, do you like it or not?"

Ryan fingered the brim nervously. "It's an almost _perfect_ match, isn't it?"

Chad sighed. "It's a hat, Ryan. You like it. It suits you. I don't see what the _deal _is, or why it matters what name it has written on the inside. No one's actually going to look _inside _your hat." As Ryan opened his mouth to protest, Chad said the magic words. "Hey. Don't tell Sharpay!"

Ryan smiled.

* * *

He wore the hat the next time they were out together, and Ryan managed to stop fidgeting with it five minutes in when Chad leant over and whispered how _fabulous_ he looked.

* * *

"Fucking _hell_, I hate you sometimes."

Chad laughed and sucked harder.

Ryan glared at him when he came. "In my sister's _laundry _closet? Seriously? You have the fucking _weirdest _fetishes."

"You love them really. Remember the golden rule?"

Ryan said it on a whisper. "Don't tell Sharpay."

* * *

Ryan fiddled with the door of his sister's room, took a deep breath and stepped inside. "Sharpay, there's something I want to tell you."

Sharpay had known all along.


End file.
